Grinding Gear Games has exciting news about Path of Exile 2 as well as new information about Path of Exile: Ascension. During a recent livestream, the team went on record with a PoE2 trailer that shines the spotlight on the upcoming Mercenary class.
The Mercenary is a crossbow-wielding character that has shooter-like gameplay. The character can swap between crossbows and different types of ammo on the fly. Of course, this also racks up some amazing combo attacks on enemies.
Developers are keen for viewers to pick up on this handy fact, “PoE2 supports WASD movement, which lets you aim and attack in a different direction than the one you are moving in. You can switch between click-to-move and WASD at any time.”
Alongside the new information about the Mercenary, GGG also detailed the PoE expansion, Affliction. The expansion will be launching for PC and Mac on December 8th. PlayStation and Xbox players will see Affliction go live on December 13th.
Affliction Details
- The Affliction Challenge League – In the Affliction League, you will encounter Sacred Wisps that beckon you to enter overgrown passageways that lead to the Viridian Wildwood. A vile Affliction has covered this forest with a foreboding darkness. You’ll need to uncover the forest’s mysteries to put a stop to the source of the Affliction.
- The Viridian Wildwood – As you approach the darkness, your Wisps burn away the affliction that shrouds the forest. Make sure you tread carefully, because your Wisps only have a limited amount of power before they run out and you are returned to Wraeclast.
- Control your Challenge and Reward – As you return from the Wildwood, any Wisps you have saved from the Affliction disperse into the environment and inhabit randomly-chosen monsters, increasing their power and also their rewards. The different types of Wisps have different effects, and sometimes more than one type will inhabit a single monster, making the fight even harder and even more rewarding.
- Wildwood Ascendancy Classes – While exploring the Wildwood, choose which of the Azmeri Wanderers that you will complete quests for to unlock one of three new Ascendancy classes which you can have in addition to your regular Ascendancy class.
- Valuable New Rewards – The Affliction Challenge League has many different types of rewards. Monsters you fight throughout Wraeclast can be affected by the Wisps you have brought back from the Viridian Wildwood, dramatically increasing the quality and quantity of items they drop. Path of Exile: Affliction also contains over 15 new unique items.
- The Return of Ultimatum – Ultimatum is finally going core. The Trialmaster has returned and will offer you a choice to undertake a deadly Vaal trial in exchange for great rewards. If you defeat the trial, he offers to go double or nothing with you. Do you take the risk and go for an even better reward? Or do you lock in the winnings you have already earned? We’ve done a full rebalance of Ultimatum and have added many new modifiers, Atlas passive skills, Keystones and rewards including both new and reworked Uniques.
For those looking to sus out even more facts about PoE: Affliction or PoE2, the entire broadcast is available here.
Check out the Path of Exile 2 / Path of Exile: Affliction official site to learn more.